I'm Starting to Wonder
by KatyForReal
Summary: Okay, so Stevie and Zander have been best friends practically since Zander moved to Brewster, CA. But now that they're in the band, best friends, and practically spend every minute together, people are getting suspicious if their relationship is still friendly or something more... Zander and Stevie both here of these assumtions, and start to wonder... Are they true?
1. Chapter 1

**HELLO, FELLOW SHIPPERS! This is my first time writing a fanfic on a website, so let me know how I'm doing and stuff. Constructive criticism is accepted and greatly apreciated! Okay, here goes!**

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

As I was walking to class, I heard some girls talking about somenew guy that had basically blown their brains out with his hotness. Ew. what with me being the tough chick, tomboy, accept no B.S. girl that I am, hearing stuff like this really makes me want to throw up.

When I entered the classroom, I accidentally bumped into something tall and strong.

"Oh, sorry." I mumbled. I looked up and say a guy with dark, curly hair and brown eyes. He had ridiculously chisled features and a certain waemth that just kind of _flowed_ off of him. He looked at me and smiled.

"It's cool," He said. His voice was light and a bit nervous. Ooh...This must be the new guy.

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

I was standing in front of the clasroom as the teacher - Mr. March - introduced me. I was pretty nervous, and the staring faces didn'e help much either. Seriously, do these people blink? All of the sudden, someone bumps into me. Hard. I quickly turned around to see a girl with brown hair, tan skin, and eyes that are blue? Green? Hazel? I honestly couldn't tell.

"Oh, sorry." She mumbled.

"It's cool," I smiled and said back. I relaxed a bit because, even though it's not much, she was the first person who talked _to_ me and not _at _me. Even if it was apologizing for giving me a bruise that I will definitly see in the morning.

"Ah, miss Baskara1 would you mind showing Zander, here around?" Mr. March asked the girl.

All of the sudden, about four girls' hnds shot up, all offering to be the one to play tour guide. I looked over at _miss Baskara_ and she nodded her head, took my schedule, and beckoned me out the door.

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

When we walked out into the hallway, I immedietly started showing Zander to all of his classes and his locker.

"So, where are you from?" I ask, trying to make conversation as we head back to class.

"All over!" Zander laughs, "As of right now, I'm from Chicago."

"well, this must be a change of scenery. How'd that happen? Y'know. big city boy coming to small town Brewster?" I ask, honestly curious.

"My parents work for a company that transferes them alot. But we're supposed to stay here 'till I graduate so there's a plus. Also, I think the view here is great." He smiles and winks.

I roll my eyes and shove him to the side. I like this kid.

"Oh, I'm Stevie, by the way." I stick out my hand and he shakes it.

**WELL, that's gonna wrap it up for me tonight! I lost a bet so I have to go and make a Q&A video. I'll be doing alot of these so if you have any questions about my stories, (this one in particular) then hit me up on Twitter Katy_For_Real. Cool? Cool.**


	2. Chapter 2

**HEYOO! Okaay, so, besides my lame greeting, I think this story is off to a great start! 'Member, reviews are totally awesome and if you're curious about any upcoming chapters/stories, hit me up on Twitter Katy_For_Real. M'kay, here goes, darlings! Enjoy!**

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

My first day went really well. Well, I mean, it's not over, yet, but you get it. As I did the combonation for my lock on my locker, opened it, someone slammed it shut. I jumped back and saw a girl with long, dark hair, about 5'2, and wearing a LOT of pink.

"You must be Sander." She practically purred at me. Uh, wow. Okay.

"Um, it's Zander." I stammer. The girl just rolls her eyes, which I'm guessing is no small feat what with all the makeup she has on.

"Whatever. I'm Molly, and you're cute." She states.

"Uhh... Thank you?" I question.

"So," Molly stepped closer, "Since you're cute and I'm practically perfect, maybe we should hang out sometime?"

I looked around, trying to find an escape, but it looks like my escape found me.

"Molly, get lost." Stevie said, coming to stand by my side. "He actually has a little sense and will listen to me when I say he does NOT want to go out with you." She says pointedly at me. I nodded at her and we turn around to leave. Where we were going, I have no clue.

"Whatever, _Loserberry!_" I heard Molly yell from behind us. I saw Stevie tenseup the slightest bit, but she never broke stride, and we were walking pretty dang fast. We walked into what looked like an old band room. There, I saw two guys on the couch playing on their phones.

"Furious Pigeons: Gold is the greatest thing EVER!" The skinny pale guy said.

"For real! I can't wait 'till the next one comes! It'll be super, mega, AWESOME!" The tall guy with a slight 'fro exclaimed. The two guys high fived and went straight back to their game.

_ (Stevie's P.O.V)_

I rolled my eyes at their nerdy-ness and took their games out of their hands.

"HEY!" They both yelled. I ignored them.

"Nelly, Kev, this is Zander. Zander this is Nelson and Kevin." I introduced the boys. Zander gave a smal wave.

"So, what is this place, anyways?" Zander asked, gesturing around our hangout.

"It was originally the teachers' lounge," Nelson answered, "but they got upgraded when the principle went through a mid-life crisis and decided to show 'kindness' to the teachers by moving them out of this place into the back of the library, which isn't much, but it has AC, which is more than this place can say."

Zander nods, and only then did I notice the small case strapped to his back. I widen my eyes,

"No way! You play the ukulele?" I exclaim. I've always wanted to learn, but never seemed to find the time. Zander nods and pulls his case around to show me.

"Careful, bro," Kevin warns, "Stevie's been wanting to learn how to play one of those things forever."

"Yeah," Nelson adds, "And she already plays four instruments already. Give her one more, and she'll probably explode." I just roll my eyes. Zander looked impressed at my friends' bragging.

"Well, maybe I could teach you sometime." He says. I smile and nodd my head as the bell rings.

**ALRIGHTY! I felt some strange need to explain the band room, so I did. Yay for explanations! Okay, so this is only the second chapter, so if any of you have any ideas, let me know and I may or may not add them in. Keep it classy, loves.**


	3. Im Starting to Hear Things: Part 1

**Oh, my goodness. I have, literally, tried writing this story twice, and it's been deleted twice. As of right now, I am angrily eating a tortilla and plotting revenge on my stupid computer. So, let's try this again, shall we? Chapter three.**

**(****_11 months_****_later_****)**

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

"No, Stevie, those are your minor chords, you need to learn your majors." I say to the struggling girl in front of me. Stevie just rolls her eyes and tries again. I have to hand it to her, she just won't giv up, no matter how tough it gets. I know what you're all probably thinking, '_How hard is it to play a tiny guitar?' _Well, you try playing four instruments with different sounds and finger movements, then come back to me. Anyways, Stevie's been struggling with the ukulele for a few months now. But waht with Gravity 5, school, and work, she somehow always manages to make time for lessons with me. **_(A/N: Everything that happened, happened. The first two chapters were just to demonstrate how Zander and Stevie met. So, Kacey's in the band, Gravity 5 is in a rivalry with the Perfs, and the band is always finding new waysto get gigs and get discovered (mostly Kacey) )_**

"No, Steves, like this." I walk around to stand behind her and place my fingers over hers, guiding them to the correct places on the neck on the instrument.

"Now, strum." I tell her, and she does. Low and behold, it's perfect.

"See? Aren't you glad to have a wonderful teacher, such as myself?" I tease her. Stevie responds by rolling her eyes and elbowing me in the ribs.

"I'll take that as a yes." I cough out. She smirks.

"You would." She responds. I swear this girl takes joy in causing me physical pain. But no matter, Stevie and I are best friends. The best of the best. Ever since I cameto Brewster High, she and I have practically been attached at the hip. She's my right hand woman and I'm her right hand man. She's the Bonnie to my Clyde. Well, may be not so much what with the romance and robbery, but you get the picture. Stevie moves her hands out from under mine and starts packing up her stuff. My hands feel slightly tingly where hers were touching .

"Hey, who's choosing the movie tonight?" Stevie asks me.

"Uh, I think Kevin is." I answer

"Dang right he is!" Someone shouts from the doorway. We look over and see Kevin and nelson entering the room.

"Furious Pigeons: The Land of the Furious is gonna be EPIC!" Kevin yells. He and Nelson high five.

"Ugh, you've got to be kidding me." Kacey says, also comming into the band room. Kevin goes dangerously still.

"I never, EVER, kid aout Furious Pigeons." He says seriously. We all take a step back, even Stevie.

"Well, alrighty then." Stevie states.

_(Kacey's P.O.V)_

"So, how was your '_lesson' _with Zander?" I tease Stevie. She rolls her eyes.

"They were fine." She says, not giving away anything. See, I have this theory that Zander and Stevie will one day announce their love for eachother and finally be more than just friends. I'm just trying to speed along that process.

"That's it? Just _'fine'_?" I ask incrediously.

**OKAY, that's gonna do it for me tonight. More tomorrow, I promise. Any questions/ideas, I'm on Twitter Katy_For_Real. Keep it classy, darlings.**


	4. Im Starting to Hear Things: Part 2

_**Chapter 3 part 2**_

_(Kacey's P.O.V)_

"That's it? Just _fine?_" I ask Stevie, incredliously. "He didn't try out any of his signature moves on you?" Stevie just slowly shakes her head.

"Why?" She asks. I give her a '_duh_' look. Stevie, being the smart girl she is, catches on.

"No, Kacey, we're just _friends_." She says to me. I sigh,

"Okay, whatevs. let's get ready for two hours of lame, nerdy birds."

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

When Zander picked me up from my house, I started thinking about what Kacey said. Why in the world would Zander try his _'moves'_ on me  
I look over at him as he slightl bobs his head to the radio. He must've saw me looking from the corner of his eyes because he smirked and sais,

"Steves, I know I'm gorgeous, but staring is rude." I punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" he shouted, "Driving here!" He said playfully. I roll my eyes.

"So, what's got you thinking?" Zander asks me softly.

"Not much," I lie. What could I say? '_Oh, Kacey thinks that you and I are ment to be together and instead of totally denying it, like a friend should, I'm questioning whether or not it's true.'_ Nope. No thanks. Zander, thankfully, didn't press the issue farther. We drove in peace the rest of the way.

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

I have no clue why Stevie's so quiet. Usually, we're talking about something that day or singing along with the radio. But right now, she's just lost in thought and, for a spit second, when she looked at me, I thought maybe she was thinking about me. But... no. She was probably thinking about school or something, or ukulele lessons, maybe? Not me. Not likei mind or anything. It's not like I want her to think about me, right? Compulsively, I reach out and take her hand in mine, like I always do. Stevie squeezed my hand and gave me a little smile. Just then my heart did this little flippy thing. Huh... Well that's new.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, gorgeous people! I'm so sorry for all the improper grammer and typos in my previous chapters. It's been pretty crazy where I am. But no fear! Here's the next chapter and I really hope you guys like it! Here goes!**

_(Nelson's P.O.V)_

Kevin, Kacey and I arrived at the movie theater just before Zander and Stevie did. Kevin went to go get the tickets while Kacey and I went torwards the beat up Jeep that was pulling into the parking lot.

"Hey, guys!" Kacey yelled to the two dark haired teens exiting the truck.

"Hey, baby." Zander said to us and smiled, using his typical charm. We all made our way over to the theater and took our seats inside. Kevin and I were practically jumping off the walls, we were so excited, Kacey was filing her nails and checking her phone while the previews showed, and Zander and Stevie were laughing at something one of them must've said. His arm was around her shoulders and her head was on his chest. If I didn't know any better, I'd think those two were in love. Wait! Are they? No! They couldn't be... Could they? I signaled at Kevin and Kacey to come closer.

"Could it be at all possible that Zander and Stevie are finally more than friends?" I ask.

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

While the previews were showing, Stevie and I were laughing about her inability to say _cinnamon,_ when I noticed Kevin, Nelson, and Kacey were deep in conversation. I know angry avians couldn't be _that _serious of a topic. I nudged Stevie.

"Hey, what do you think they're talking about?" I ask her. She lifts her head off my chest and looks over at them. She shrugs.

"I have no clue." Stevie says, laying her head back down. I listened a little harder and was able to catch words that sounded like _love_ and _Zevie_. What the heck is a _Zevie_? I was about to ask them what they were talking about when two little boys in the row in front of us turn around and shushed all of us. I could feel Stevie's body shaking as she laughed. I snickered and we all settled down to watch the movie.

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

After the movie ended - it was actually pretty good - I headed out with Zander to his truck.

"So, what'd you think?" I ask him.

"I solemnly swear to never anger a pigeon, ever again." He says with a serious face. I laughed and pushed him a little. Zander cracks a smile and we hop in the truck.

When we got to my house, Zander and I walked in, expecting some of my brother Ross's cookies. Those things are heaven in a small circle. We found them on the counter next to a note that read:

Stevie,

_Jacob's at his friends house, Mom's working late, Dad's flight has been delayed until tomorrow morning, and Tyler and I are out camping. Have Zander stay with you 'till mom gets back. Mom's orders. And DON'T eat all my cookies._

_-Ross_

I show Zander the note and sigh apologetically.

"Hey, it's cool. I'm all for hanging here." Zander smiled as he sits on the couch and kicks his feet up. He and I practically live at eachother's houses. His parents are like a second pair of parents to me, and vise versa. Although, my brothers like to mess with him, sort of like he was one of them. But the line is drawn at his sister. She's the devil. Cute, but the devil.

"I'm gonna go change. My sweats are stil here, right?" Zander asks. I nod and he jogs upstairs. Yep, he even has a small space in my clost, kinda like how I have a small space in his. When I go upstairs, Zander is laying on my bed, skimming through my copy of _The Hunger Games._ Without a shirt. I roll my eyes and toss him one of his t-shirts. He sticks out his tongue and makes a big deal of putting the shirt over his abs, which, I must admit, are pretty impressive. I grap a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top from my closet and head to the bathroom to change. As I'm changing, I notice Zander is exceptionally quiet. Which can mean one of two things; Either he's roaming the house for something to eat, or he's gonna jump out and scare me. I walk out, prepared for both. But what I _wasn't_ prepared for, was to see him softly strumming my ukulele with a slight smile on his face, lost in thought. I sit next to him and put my head on his shoulder.

"What are you smiling about?" I ask him.

**What is Zander smiling about? When will Stevie's mom get home? Did they disobey Ross and eat all the cookies?! You'll find out in the next chapter! :) Okay, that'll do it for me tonight. I have a huge science placement test tomorrow, so wish me luck! Te amo y hasta luego!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Okay, so my science test was suprisingly easy... Which means I probably failed. Oh, well. Anyways, no more troubling you with my school issues. On with Chapter 6! Remember, reviews are apreciated, and if you have any questions/thoughts, I'm on Twitter Katy_For_Real. M'kay? Cool, here goes!**

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

"What are you smiling about?" I ask Zander. He smiles.

"Nothing," he says, "It's just, remember when we first met? All the girls were practically fawning all over me, not that I'm complaining, but the only thing you seemed interested in about me was my music."

"Well, more your shrunken guitar, but continue." I tease.

"Well, I think that's when I realized we were a great pair, I guess. Someone who saw _me_ and not what I looked like." He says softly, smiling at me. "Although, I know you liked what you saw." He adds, gesturing at himself. I punch him in the arm.

"Yeah, I'm the kind of girl who would much rather fawn over an instrument than a guy. No offense." I say playfully. Zander chuckles and lays down. I follow suit and look over at the clock on my bedside table. It read 11:00 pm. Zander reached over me and took the remote, turning on abc family, which was showing _Finding Nemo_. I lay my head on his chest as I feel my eyes and head getting heavier, and heavier...

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

As I was watching Nemo touch the "butt", I feel Stevie snuggle in closer to me, which must mean she's asleep, because Stevie does _not_ snuggle. I looked down and noticed how peaceful and... beautiful she looked. Wait, what am I saying? Did I seriously just describe my best friend as _beautiful_? In _that _way?! No, no, no, that can't happen. I can't, _won't, _crush on my best friend. Can I? I was suddenly pulled from my argument with myself by the sound of the garage door opening and closing. Stevie's mom must be home. I move out from under Stevie, place a blanket on her, and turn off her TV. I whisper a good bye to her and head downstairs to greet her mom.

"Hey, Mrs. Baskara," I say to the woman who looks _alot_ like Stevie. Only where Stevie has brown hair and light eyes, her mom's hair is with black with eyes to match. Stevie's mom was born in Spain, resulting in the whole _Spanish beauty_ thing that got passed down to Stevie. **(A/N: Lulu Antariksa is actually Indonesian and German, but I thought the Spanish thing sounded better)** Stevie get's her light eyes from her dad, who's French. **(A/N: Again, thought French sounded better.)**

"Hey, Zander." Her mom says to me, "Let me guess; Stevie clocked out at 11:00?" I nod my head and she laughs softly.

"Well, I should probably get going." I say. "Oh, and if Stevie wakes up mad at me, please tell her that I _did_ say good bye." I add, knowing how she is about people leaving with out telling her. She thinks it's rude. Mrs. Baskara smiles anmd nods her head. As I'm walking out, I hear Stevie's mom mumble something about Stevie and i having "no clue". What ever _that_ means. I shrug it off, hop in my truck, and drive home.

**Alrighty, darlings. That's it for this chapter. But no fear, for I don't have a life and have time to kill! I'll post the next chapter in a bit. Follow me Katy_For_Real for more updates and info on the story. Coolio? Coolio.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Kay kay, here's the next chapter! I'm really just killing time while my house is being showed, so you guys should pound me if I make any grammatical errors, for I have no reason to be making them. Alright, here it is, darlings. Enjoy!**

_(Stewvie's P.O.V)_

On Monday in the band room, I was tuning my bass, trying my hardest to ingnore the two dweebs who were shouting with pizza in their mouths, and throwing pepperonies at eachother, missing almost every time. Can you guess who they are? All of the sudden, Kacey and Zander burst into the room.

"Guess who just got us to play at that fancy gala this weekend?!" Kacey asks excitedly.

"The one where that company is gonna launch their new virtual planner thing?" I ask excitedly. I've heard that Miller's Inc. throws these amazing formal parties whenever they launch a new product.

"How'd you get them to let us perform?" Nelson asks.

"Well, they were originally gonna have some British classical orchestra perform, but they all _called in sick._" Kacey says mischeviously. I widen my eyes and don't ask.

"Also, the owners of the company have a twelve year old son who has a crush on Kacey," Zander adds, "We thought we might use it to our advantage by telling him that, by letting Gravity 5 play, Kacey would go out to ice cream with him." Kacey looked slightly less excited about that part.

"Woah, woah, hol' up now. Who does this kid think he is, hitting on _my_ lady?" Kevin asks, getting up.

"No, Kev.. Just no." I say, and he sits back down and pouts. Kacey claps her hands.

"Alright, now we need to discuss the important stuff." She says.

"Picking out what songs we're gonna play?" I guess.

"The logistics of being able to get there in time to set up?" Zander takes a swing at it. Kacey rolls her eyes.

"No, we need to think about what we're gonna wear!" She exclaims. She stops and thinks a moment.

"Oh, and Zander, I was thinking we could really use a new song. Maybe, a _love_ song?" She asks the squirming boy next to her.

"A new song? In _four days?_" Zander asks incrediously. Kacey nods.

"Thanks, Zander! C'mon, Stevie. To the mall!" Kacey grabs my hand and runs with me out to her car, and drives me to go sweep the depths of hell. Or as some people call it, _shopping. _

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

After Kacey left, Stevie in tow, I sit down on the couch and skim through my song book, hoping to find some inspiration.

"I don't have any love songs or _ideas_ for love songs," I say, defeated. Nelson comes over to sit by me.

"Just think about something or someone you love, like say... Stevie?," he asks, slyly. I shot up.

"What? Why Stevie?" I ask, heart going a mile a minute.

"Well, you love her, don't you?" Kevin asks, "She's your best friend." Kevin says.

"Oh, well, yeah." I say, heart slowing down a bit. Why was I panicking in the first place? I start to shake my legt up and down, thinking hard. _Stevie._

**Okay, so I'm gonna stop it right here. What do you guys think Zander will write about? (I already know but I thought I'd ask, just to torture you guys with the power of suspense) Find out tomorrow, or maybe I'll tell you if you ask me Katy_For_Real on Twitter, cool? More tomorrow, loves. Peace put, girl scout! (I'm in love with that.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey. 'Sup? Quick question; do any of you guys read Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series? If so, wouldn't Lulu Antariksa and Max Schneider make the perfect Zach and Cammie?! I think so. I really, really think so. They need to make a movie and put those two in it. Anywho, here's Chapter 8! Enjoy, darlings!**

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

_Stevie._ Tough, loving, heart of gold, beauiful, charming, talented, and, when she wants to be, sweet... The list goes on, really.

"Well, maybe this will help along your _creative process_," Nelson says, pulling out his phone. He shows me a picture of Stevie and I looking at eachother as we perform at a gig we had a while back at Justin Cole's party. She was wearing a sparkly tank top and no shoes. I smile, remembering how much she hated that outfit that Kacey had forced her in. Also, how many times I had to catch her when she would trip on those ridiculous heels. She hd blisters on her feet for a week after that. I practically carried her everywhere.

"Okay, we'll leave you alone so you can get started," Kevin says, he and Nelson getting up to go.

"See ya," I say, and get to work.

**Oh, my goodness! I have the worlds biggest headache so I'm gonna have to end it here. I'm ligitametly sorry, but I need to like, go hit myself with a hammer to make this thing go away. You guys should know the drill by know; I'm on twitter Katy_For_Real. Follow me, don't follow me, stare at mu pictures, just do what you gotta do before the next chapter. Peace out, girl scout!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, I just found out that I passed my Math and Reading/Writing Staar tests! yep, I passed with satisfactory on Math and advanced in Reading/Writing. Yay! To celebrate, I decided to make this chapter with so much Zevie, I think fangirl screams will be heard across the hemisphere. I know mine will. Here it is, darlings! Enjoy!**

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

After about two hours of "shopping" with Kacey, (it was really just her pulling me in and out of every store and screaming, "EEEHH!" while pointing at every dress in the entire freaking mall), I headed over to Zander's to help him with the new song. When I saw how squirmish he was, I called him during my shopping sesion and offered to help. When I arrived, his little sister opened the door.

"Mellie," I said, emotionlessly.

"Stevana," she replied in the same tone. Oh, if she weren't so cute, she would have been afraid of tomorrow when I was through with her for using my birth name.

"Mel, let Stevie in." I hear Zander call from inside. Mellie rolls her eyes and steps to the side, leaving me room to step in. When I step into the foyer and look around. I've beed in this house a bazillion times, but I'm amazed everytime. It's a pretty nice house, with five bedrooms, four and a half baths, and a den. I know, right? A _den_? Blows my mind everytime.

"Hey, Steves, up here," Zander says from the top of his stairs in front of his bedroom door. I run up the stairs and enter his room. His walls are a grayish-purple with old rock band posters everywhere. In one corner, her had his keytar and keyboard. In the middle of the room lay his guitar, ukulele, and a bunch of loose sheet music.

"Looks like you've finished already," I joke. Zander smiles and sits on the floor, motioning for me to follow suit.

"Yeah, I decided to get a head start." he says, sheepishly. I pick up one of the sheets of paper and read the title. _What We Could Be._ I read some of the lyrics and smile. They're really good. And deep, too. Like he wrote them for someone specific, someone he really loved. Huh.

"Head start? You're practically done!" I tease him. Zander blushes so I laugh and nudge him in the arm.

"I think these lyrics are amazing," I tell him.

"Really?" Zander asks, and I nod.

"Good, because I'm pretty confident with these lyrics, but I need help with the melody." he says. I nod again and we get to work.

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

I wake up to a phone vibrating in my ear. I try to move, but something was on me, holding me in place. I look to see what it was, and I see Stevie with her head on my chest and her arm across my stomach, sound asleep. I realize that my arm is around her waist, holding her to me. It felt so . . . _right_. We must've fallen asleep after pulling an all nighter with the song. The phone buzzed again.

"Ugh," I moan, "Hello?" I ask sleepily, answering the phone.

"Zander?" Stevie's brother, Jacob, asks.

"Yeah.." I say. Why . . . Oh. I realize too late that I answered Stevie's phone, not mine.

"Hey, is Stevie with you? Kacey's been calling the house non-stop and it's _really_ annoying," Jacob whines. Yep. Eleven and still whines.

"Yeah, she's still sleeping. I'll wake her up in a bit." I say, looking down at the dark haired girl on my chest. I hear him sigh in relief of not having to deal with teenage girl drama anymore. We hang up and I set the phone down. I rub Stevie's back a bit, shaking her.

"Steves, hey, wakey wakey. . ." I tease her. She moans and snuggles in closer, nuzzling her head in my neck. I actually didn't want to wake her up. I liked the feeling of her body against mine. Yeah, I just said that. Even though I shouldn't! It's okay, though. Best friends are supposed to have no sense of personal space, right? So it's not like it means anything. Does it? And would I mind so much if it did? I'm pulled fom my thoughts by the feeling of Stevie lifting her head off my chest. For some reason, I pretend to stay aleep, wondering what she might do.

**Okay, loves. What'd you think? Reviews are totally awesome (hint, hint). Follow me on Twitter Katy_For_Real for more info on this story/upcoming stories and random updates on my totally amazing life (it's not all that exciting, I just like to pretend it is)** **Peace out, girl sout!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hellur. I am WAITING for more reviews ... Okay, now! Please? No? Okay, that's cool. Not like I care or anything. Here's the next chapter, doomed to be review-less. Read on.**

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

"I know you're awake," Stevie says. I open my eyes and smile at her tousled hair and tired eyes.

"And you know this . . . how" I teasingly ask her. Stevie looks at me and says,

"You are incapable of sleeping for more than ten hours at a time. Your body clock is all messed up from moving all the time." I widen my eyes and she smirks, obviously enjoying my shock over her having known that. But I won't let her have it.

"It's eleven hours, baby." I say, winking at her. Stevie rolls her eyes and gets up. I pick up one of the stray pieces of paper that were scattered around me.

"Oh, my God. We finished!" I say, amazed. Stevie looks down and smiles. All of the sudden, Mellie barges into my room.

"Mom made lunch." We just stare at her.

'So, that means get off your lazy butts, come downstairs, and eat." she says in a tone that resembles Stevie's. Whe mellie leaves, I stare at Stevie.

"You know, she gets that from you."

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

After we ate, my brother Tyler came and picked me up. When he did, he immedietly started hammering me with questions.

"Did he try anything on you?" he asks me.

"No! Why does everyone thing he's gonna try something on me? We're just friends," I say, exasperated.

"Hey, you don't put a guy like that in the 'innocent' category. He's too much of a player," Tyler says, shrugging like it's no big deal, but I can see his hands tightening around the wheel. Oh, sure. _Now_ he wants to play the protective big brother card.

"Ty, you don't have to worry. If he does try anything, _which he won't,_ I'll kick his butt all the way into next week. Chill," I tell him, watching as he relaxes, knowing I'm right. Or maybe not. Was falling asleep together considered a _move_? If it was, I wouldn't beat him for that. It was . . . nice. Strange thought, but true. I roll my eyes at my stupidity,

"Y'know, your eyes are gonna fall out of your friggin' head if you keep doing that." Tyler says. I glare at him, and he puts a hand up, the gesture for _Don't shoot the messenger. _Suddenly, my phone rings.

"Hey, Kacey. 'Sup?" I say.

**Kay, I'mma stop here 'cause I'm distracted with Youtube right now. Mama, if you actually get to reading this chapter, know that I love and miss you :) I'm actually writing like you always said I always would. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello. Okay, so I realize that my last chapter's beginning talked abou how I'm basically desperate for reviews. Well, I am, but I'm not the kind of writer who asks for a pity party, so I apologize for my lameness. Do it if you want, and if nt, it's cool, because I know that if you're still reading this story, you must like it. So that makes it worth while. All cheesy-ness aside, here's chapter eleven! Enjoy!**

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

" 'Sup? _'SUP?!_ I've been trying to get a hold of you for four hours now, and all you say is '_Sup!_" I hear Kacey scream into the phone.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry!" I say, trying to calm her down. "But there is a silver lining . . " I drag off.

"And what's that?" Kacey demands.

"We finished the song. Got the music down and everything," I say. I can hear her take in a breath in surprise. Wow, is it really that surprising?

"Wait, did you spen all night with Zander?" she asks.

"Yeah, why?" I ask, dreading the answer.

"No reason. It's just that . . . nevermind." she says. I sigh in relief of her not going on about Zander and I. Maybe, her and Tyler can get together and plan our friggin' wedding, they're so obsessed.

"Okay, anyways, I wanted to tell you that we're gonna have practice today and tomorrow to rehearse for the gala,'kay?" Kacey says.

"Yeah, cool" I say, and we hang up. I wonder what Gravity 5 will think of the song. . .

_(Kevin's P.O.V)_

When we finished Only You Can be You, Move With the Crowd, and Last One Standing, Zander started handing out sheet music to us. I noticed how Kacey was frowning at her paper.

"What's wrong?" I ask her. She looks up.

"Oh, nothing, it's just. . . Zander, I don't sing in this key. You know that." she says to Zander, who was getting out his acoustic guitar.

"Oh, we can change that," Stevie says, standing in front of Kacey, "It was originally written with me singing, but it's totally malliable." Kacey suddenly smiles.

"Hey, Stevie, since it's already written in your key, why don't _you_ sing it?" she says, handing Stevie the lyric sheet. I looked over at Stevie, who was looking really uncomfortable.

"Me, Stevie? No, no, no, that's okay. I'm good." she says.

"C'mon, Stevie," I whine, "Please? We never get to hear you sing."

"What are you talking about? You hear me sing everyday." she says defiantly.

"Well, not lead!" Nelson says, coming to stand by my side, "Just this once, then we'll see how it goes." Stevie reluctantly nods her head and takes Kacey's spot at center stage. Well, more center of behind the couch, but you know what I mean. Kacey gets a tamborine, an instrument you play when you can't actually _play_ any instruments,and takes Stevie's place. I count us down.

"And one . . two . . three . . four. ."

**Alrighty, so that's that. Remember, info/sneak peeks of this story/upcoming stories are available on my twitter account Katy_For_Real. Keep it classy, loves. Peace out, girl scout!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hola! Okay, so people have been telling me that I should make longer chapters, and I totally agree. But, please keep in mind that I'm a teenager with school, sports, and other stuff. . . So, I have limited time to write these these, which is the main reason. Also, I hand write all my chapters before I post them, so I will most likely not get writers block anytime soon. I have the entire plot figured out and stuff, plus I'm posting every day, so please. . . bear with me, 'kay? Here's the next chapter. Read on!**

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

Oh, yeah. Stevie's so going to sing this song. I mean, don't get me wrong, Kacey could sing it, but it just sounds so much more natural with Stevie. Her voice is much more mellow and inviting. And, after a half hour of straight up arguing, she agreed to sing it at the gala. She may not admit it, but I can tell she's a little excited to do this. Stevie loves music and singing, too, but she's not a huge fan of the spot light. So, I'm a little worried that she might back out. She probably won't. I hope. . .

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

"Stevie, let's go!" I hear Zander yell from downstairs.

"Coming! Ugh, stupid shoes!" I yell in frustration at the uncomfortable heels that Kacey picked out for me. Ah, screw it. I threw the shoes into the back of my closet and got out a pair of black flats, instead. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized that my black lace peplum dress was riding up and I had a stray hair sticking straight up out of my head. Oh, that's just awesome. I had started smothing my hands over my dress and hair when Zander burst into my room.

"Hey, we have fifteen min- Whoaa. . ." he drags off, looking me up and down.

"What? I know, Kacey's gonna kill me for the shoes and my hair's a mess and-" I started, but Zander cut me off.

"Steves, you look beautiful," he says, still wide-eyed. I blush and tuck a strand of hair behind my hair. He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in.

"Okay, seriously, we need to go," he looks at his watch, "Like _now_." He grabs my hand and we run out to his truck and drive to the gala.

_About an hour later . . ._

When it was time for me to sing, I was so nervous, I honestly thought I might I might throw up.

"Hey, Stevie, are you okay?" Kacey asks me, "You look kind of. . . pukey."

"I _feel_ kind of pukey," I tell her. Nelson and Kevin back up a bit. Can't say I blame them.

"Oh, don't worry, Grace, I'll make sure _Loserberry_ doesn't get near us," I hear an incredibly annoying voice behind me.

"Molly, what are you doing here?" Zander asks.

"Oh, my mother's sister-in-law's ex-boyfriend's lawyer's cousin is the owner's nephew." she says in a superior tone.

"Wow . . . You're practically family," Kevin deadpans. I roll my eyes.

"Well, your mother's sister's lawyer's cousin is going to have his mind blown by Zander's new song," I brag, standing next to Zander and putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, no, it's my mother's-" I cut Molly off.

"I don't care! Just sit back and watch us rock this thing," I smirk at her and she stomps off with Grace in tow.

"Bye, guys!" Grace yells from behind Molly.

"Grace, come back!" Nelson yells, reaching for her retreating figure. Kevin holds him back.

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Zander asks me. I nod.

"Oh yeah, seeing that girl fuels my hate fire to the point of destruction. Let's do this." I say. Zander gives my hand a squeeze and starts strumming his guitar.

**Okay, I'mma post the next chapter in a few, so hang tight, 'kay? BTW, I'm sorry for all the barf talk . . . Unecessary, but kind of funny. Which shows how mature I am. Oh, and I'm more that happy to keep this awesome couple alive! I love them so much! I honestly think I might go into anavelectic shock from fangirly-ness if this show were to ever return. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Heyoo! Oh, lord, I'm so lame. Anyways, I am doing as promised and posting the next chapter! Whoop-whoop! I'm seriously starting to like this website. I GOTS PEEPS FROM ALL OVER DA WORLD READIN' 'DIS! Ghetto-ness aside, thank you guys for taking time out of your lives to read this and witness my lame enteries. You guys rock. If so, please comment where you're from. I'm just a peasent in Amurrica, but I have people from the Midddle East reading this! Plus, I think it'd be super cool if you guys DID comment where you were from. I'd go brag to my friends and stuff (ex. OMG! Shaquifa35 is from Brazil and she's like, totes into my stor-ay..) I seriously don't talk like that. Promise. So, yeah. Please me if you will by doing this simple task. On to chapter ... I have no clue which chapter this is. But read on!**

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

We performed and it was amazing! The owners of Miller's Inc. gave us $700.00 each! Also, Kacey ended up with ice cream in her hair when she flirted with someone who _wasn't_ her promised date . . . which was a prepubesent boy who thought he was just the coolest thing. Since that all that's blown over, I am now faced with a new problem, one that is bigger than strawberry coated hair and getting Stevie to sing.

"Hey, what are we going to do about Stevie's birthday?" I ask Kacey, who was admiring a bag that she bought with her performance money. She looks up.

"Well, she said not to make a big deal out of it, so . . . nothing, I guess." she says. I shake my head.

"No, it's her seventeenth birthday, it has to be good. Something she'll remember." I say.

"Maybe we can take her out to dinner?" Kevin asks.

"Or have a small perty on the beach?" Nelson trys. I think, those are good ideas, but not _great_. I want to do something special for her birthday. Only one problem: I have no idea how to do that. Suddenly, my phone buzzed.

"Speak of the devil . . ." I mumble, "Hey, guys, I'll catch up with you later. I have to go meet Stevie for ukulele lessons."

"Mm'hmm. . . have _fu-un,_" Kevin says mischeviously. I quirked an eyebrow at him. He just turns and whistles. Uh, okay. And with that, I jog out of the room.

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

"Nice of you to show up," I tease Zander, who, just a moment ago, came running for his life into the courtyard.

"I know, " he gasps for air, "I'm sorry, I was . . . distracted." With that, he winks at a group of girls passing by. I roll my eyes as they swoon.

"Alright, Casanova. Where's Lilo?" I ask him. Lilo is the name of Zander's old ukulele that he lets me play, since I don't have one of my own. Sometimes, I take it home to practice with it and call it mine, but most of the time, I give it back to Zander so he can spare Lilo from the wrath of my brothers. He named it Lilo because it was his first ukulele, and he was inspired to play it after watching Lilo and Stitch. It's a cute story, really.

"Here she is," Zander says, pulling the extra case out of his backpack. I open the case and take out the old instrument. It had a small crack on the face, and the neck was well worn, but I loved it. All the dents and scratches make it so much more authentic. Zander gets out his slightly newer, not beaten uke, and sits by me on the bench.

"Hey, Steves, I was wondering, how come you never got your own?" he asks, gesturing to Lilo. "I mean, I'm totaly cool with you using Lilo, but . . " he drags off. I think for a bit.

"I dunno . . . I guess it's the fact that Lilo has so much more history than any other instument I've ever played, and I value that. Also, if I did get one of my own, I'd have to go through the process of breaking it in, tuning it, and just getting a feel for it, you know?" I say. I see Zander taking all this in.

"And," I add, "I think I'd make Lilo sad by getting a different uke." I jut out my lower lip, being silly and holding the instrument to my chest. Suddenly, the boy next to me shot up his head, as if he had an idea.

"What?" I ask warily. Zander's not all that great at coming up with ideas that benifit the public.

"Stevie, what do you want for your birthday?" he asks, totally ignoring my question.

"Uh . . . I don't know. My birthday's not for a while, Z." I say, taken aback. He looks at me.

"It's in two weeks." Zander deadpans.

"That's correct," I say, matching his tone.

"And you don't have any idea of what you might want?" he asks disbelievingly.

"You're two for two," I lie. There is one thing that would make this stupid birthday worth it. . .

"No, really," Zander says, seeing right through me. I roll my eyes.

"Well, if you can swing getting my dad to come home for one day from his buisness trip in Montana, that's sure be nice," I mumble. I see his gaze on me soften. No. No, I will _not_ be the little girl who needs her daddy.

"Whatever, that's not happening, so let's get this lesson started, yeah?" I ask him, getting out the sheet music. I can feel him still staring at me. I smirk and match his tone from a while back,

"Zander, I know I'm gorgeous, but staring is rude."

Zander chuckles and helps me with the papers. When I reached for a pen on the tabe, a gust of wind blew all the music sheets on the floor. Oh, isn't that just awesome.

"I got it," I grumble. Zander gets down and helps me pick up the mess. I look up to thank him, but stop short when I realize how close our faces are. Zander's dark eyes bore into mine, making me catch my breath. A breeze blew a few strands of hair into my face, and I watched, in a trance, as he slowly raised his hand and tucked the hair behind my left ear, letting his fingers linger on my temple for longer than necessary. His touch sent shivers down my spine, but I saw it as the perfect oprutunity to break the spell.

"Wow, Z, cliché moment much?" I ask, slightly out of breath. Why do I feel like this? It's nice and terrifying all at the same time. Zander smiled at me and sat back on the bench, motioning for me to follow suit. I did and we started the lesson.

**BAM! Was that long enough for you? It should be. I'm late for voleyball practice because of it. Hope you guys liked it and please follow me on twitter. I'm a sad little follower-less bird who can't fly without the feathers of new followers! Wow, I'm so desperate. Please know that I'm not this stupid in person. Peace out, girl scout!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! I'm in an amazing mood because I just got back from a volleyball clinic, and it was so much fun! Although, I forgot my knee pads and dived . . . Yeah, my knees are stinging right now, but no matter! Oh, and I totally apreciate you guys telling me where you're from! And, yes, **Lulunatic14**, I do know where Belgium is. I'm not ****_that_**** stupid . . . And I always figured Belgium would be more known for its waffles than its chocolate. Oh, and I'm seriously surprised that all you Europeans speak english! I speak a little spanish/Italian that I learned from my mom (we're Cuban and Italian), but I'm not fluent. I heard that most of the people outside of America speak like, three different languages by the age of fifteen. Stuff blows my mind. Fo' real. Also, check out Loney Island's video Great Day! It's so funny! I watched it in Health class and it led to a debate between my teacher/coach and I. 'Twas fun. Okay, on to the next chapter! Yay . . .**

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

The first thing I did when I got home was call Mr. Baskara. I had his number in case anything happened to Stevie.

"Hello?" a deep voice asked trough the phone.

"Hey, Mr. B, it's Zander. Sorry to bother you, but it's about Stevie." I say.

"Did something happen to her? Is she okay?" he asked in a panicked tone. I shake my head even though he can't see me.

"No, she's fine. It's just . . . do you think you could come back to Brewster for a day? Perferably on Stevie's birthday?" I ask an hold my breath, waiting for his answer.

"Zander," he sighed, "I wish I could. I really do, but I can't afford to go to California from Montana and back again without the support of my company, and I doubt they're going to support that." He sounded defeated, like he tried to come home, but couldn't swing it. I thought for a second, and a light bulb went off in my head.

"What if I paid?" I ask.

"No, son, I can't ask you to do that," Mr. Baskara says.

"You're not asking, I'm offering." I say, and before he can protest again, I speak up.

"Look, I got some money from a gig a week earlier, it should be enough to get you here and back for Stevie's birthday. Plus, she really wants you there." I hear silence on the other line.

"Mr. B?" I ask.

"You're good to my daughter, Zander." he says.

"Well I would hope so," I laugh, "She would kick my butt into next week if I wasn't."

"Alright, how are we going to do this?" He asks. I pump my fist in the air, and we get started.

_A Few Hours Later_

When I finished getting Mr. Baskara's flights planned out and paid for, I realize that I still had some money left over, and I had the perfect idea on how to spend it . . .

**MWAHAHAHA! I left you losers in suspense! I'm kidding, you're not losers, you guys are awesome. I call everybody losers. Please, don't be offended. But yes, what do you guys think Zander will spend the rest of his money on? (hint, hint: it's something for Stevie) Comment what you guys think, and I'll tell you who the closest person is. The answer won't come for two or three more chapters, so do it now! 'Cause you guys know I update practically e'rry day. Which isn't surprising, since I have the social life of a rock. No, not even. Rocks are put in clusters all over so they can cause you to lose balance and fall off your bike. . . I'm the wierdest person I know. Sorry 'bout that. Hasta luego! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello, smexy people! I just got back from Athletics (it's like, ultra advanced PE), and during that class, I was clearing triple stacked boxes (jumping over them), and almost fell on my face because, I'm not black. I don't have hops. Any who, **BlissfulRaven1504 **and** SilverPebbles**, yes, but no. You guys are on the right path, but he doesn't spend his money on a new uke. Suspense . . . . I know what you guys are probably thinking, "SHUT UP AND POST THE STUPID STORY ALREADY!". Calm. The freak. Down. I got you. Read on!**

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

No. No, no, no, no, _NO!_ This cannot be happening! I rummaged through my closet and tore through every room in the house. I even gave my brothers my most menacing death glare, and they didn't squeal.

"Stevana Raina Baskara!" I hear my mom yell from downstairs, "Why are you destroying my house?!" I trudge down the stairs and meet my mom's unhappy gaze with my frantic one.

"Mom, I lost Zander's ukulele! I looked everywhere, and I mean _everywhere!_ Speaking of which, you sould really clean your closet. Anyways, I even asked your idiot sons if they stole it, but none of them have it! Not even Dylan!" I say in a rush.

"Dylan's in Nebraska with his wife," Mom says, looking like she was going to pick me up and take me to a mental hospital as soon as she saw fit.

"I know! But still!" I yell, "Zander trusted me with something of his, and I have literally let it go into oblivion!" My mom closes her eyes and thinks for a bit.

"Do you think you may have given it back to him?" she asks.

"Unless I sleep walked all the way to his house and back last night, then no." I state.

"Did he take it back? He does have free range to this house, sweetie. You and I both know that, and so does he. Maybe, he came for it and didn't tell you?" she implies.

"No, Zander wouldn't do that. He would tell me if . . ." I drag off. I remember the conversation I had with him earlier, about my using his ukulele instead of getting my own. I guess he really _did_ mind about me using his. He puts up a _really_ good front. I would never have known if he didn't _go behind my freaking back and take it!_ Oh, boy. I roll my eyes angrily and stomp up the stairs, leaving my mom in the living room, still complaining about her precious house being all messed up.

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

Stevie gave me the cold shoulder all week. And might I just say, that shoulder is _freezing_. She wouldn't look me in the eyes, and she would barely talk to me, aside from the usual, 'Hey' and 'Bye', but even those were laced with venom. Can't say I blame her. What I did was _really_ crummy, but it'll be worth it in the end. Storm before the calm, right? Or was it the other way around? Nah, I like the first one better. Well, here goes everything . . .

"Steves," I say, entering her room without knocking, as per usual. Stevie rolls her eyes.

"Charming," she snorts, "I could've been naked, you know," **(A/N: That, I stole from a book. The Princess Plot. Know it?)**

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," I joke, which results in me getting a pillow thrown at my head. "Happy Birthday!" I say, cornily, gently punching her seventeen times in the right arm. She patiently takes it, giving me an '_Are you serious?'_ look. Well, she hasen't bitten my head off, yet. That must be good omen or something like that.

"Hey, I'm gonna need you to grab a jacket and some long legged pants, and meet me downstairs." I say, making my way towards the door.

"Why?" she asks, seriously confused. I give her a look.

"Stevana Baskara, it's your birthday, and you're sitting at home alone watching foreign movies. You honestly think I'm gonna let you stay that way?" I ask.

"Why, yes, Alexander Robbins, I did," she fires back, using _my_ full name now. Okay, I deserved that one.

"Just hurry up," I say, and walk out. After a few minutes, Stevie walks down the stairs. I smile when I see that she's wearing one of my flannel shirts.

"Ready?" I ask her. She looks at me.

"How can I be ready for something when I have no clue what it is?" she asks.

"Just go get in the car," I say, exasperated. She does as I tell her, and I follow her out. We hop into my truck and drive off to her surprise.

_A while later . . ._

I hand Stevie a blind fold.

"You're kidding, right?" she says, unmoving. I chuckle and wrap the blind fold around her head. Luckily, she doesn't protest. I step behind her, placing my hands on her shoulders, and guide her from where we had just parked, down to the beach. I could feel her tensen up every time she stepped on a rock or something, and I got fed up.

"Stevie, I'm not gonna let you fall," I say into her left ear. I fell her loosen up and lean into me a little, trusting me for the moment. I can see other members of Gravity 5 in the distance, setting up. Earlier that week, I decided to combine Kevin and Nelson's ideas and we set up a picnic on the beach. Cliché, yes, but I think she'll like it. We finally catch up, and I take off Stevie's blind fold.

"SURPRISE!"

**Yes! Oh, I guess this is what you would call a "filler chapter". I like this chapter. Me gusta. Anyways, the special gift will be in tomorrow's chapter, m'kay? Did any of you guys check out The Lonely Island's video, Great Day? If so, I apologize for any nightmares of glowing red eyes and spanish bull riding it may have given you. Any questions/comments, leave your reviews or hit me up on twitter Katy_For_Real. Keep it classy, loves. Buenos tardes!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Put away your pitchforks and torches, ad call off the search party. I'm back. Things got a little crassay for a few days. I gotchu. Read!**

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled. I just stood there and gawked at the scene before me. Kevin and Nelson were playing frisbee via launching the disc out of their human sized Furious Pigeons sling shot, Kacey was on an huge orange blanket, setting out food that looked _amazing_, and Zander was standing next to me, smiling like an idiot. I looked around and smiled at my friends, holding back tears. But that dam broke when I saw the man who was standing next to my mother.

"_DAD!_" I shout and run over to him. I jump into his arms and squeeze the life out of him. I can feel him shaking with laughter as he hugged me back.

"How did you . . . Who-" I stuttered.

"That young man," Dad points at Zander, "Went out of his way to get me here." I look over at Zander, who blushes and gives a lame little wave. I walk over to him and throw my arms ound his neck.

"Feeling a little touchy feely today, are we Steves?" He jokes at my hugging him. I kick hime in the shin and as he crouches down in pain, I whisper in his ear,

"Thank you." He smiles at me and nods his head. We walk off and enjoy the picnic. Kevin had catered and that boy has a serious future in the culinary arts. My dad and my mom seemed be having a great time, laughing and holding each other's hands, enjoying one another's company. Nelson and Kevin were blasting each other off into the ocean with their human launcher, which is ridiculous, since it's freezing, but they didn't seem to mind. Kacey was having the time of her life playing photographer, but she probably took more selfies than she did pictures of the rest of us. I didn't care. I would remember this day, even without pictures. I was getting a slice of cake when I noticed Zander sitting down in the sand, watching the waves. I got this horrible lump in my throat when I remembered how cold I had been to him. I walked over and plopped myself next to him. We stayed that way for a while, not talking, just enjoying the sound of the ocean.

"I'm sorry," I say quietly, breaking the silence. He looks over at me.

"For what?" he asks, not letting me off easy.

"For being such a jerk to you. I souldn't have reacted the way I did. After all, Lilo was yours and I respect that. I'm sorry." I say. Then, Zander does something that makes me want to punch him in the gut. He laughs. Yes, actual _laughage._ I give him a sideways glare and that shut him up.

"Steves, I'm sorry, but . . . you actually thought I would just take it and never give it back to you?" he asks.

"Well . . . yeah," I say, dumbfounded. Zander sakes his head.

"Wrong." he says as he reaches behind him and grabs a ukulele case. I widen my eyes. Was he seriously going to torture me with that thing by dangling it in my face?

"I know we agreed on no presents, but. . ." he opens the case and my breath hitches in my throat. It's Lilo, but . . . not really. The instrument had been painted blue with a beach scene on it, sunrise and all. I take it from him and gingerly turn it in my hands. On the back was a note that read:

_Stevie,_

_ Stay classy, baby._

_Love, Zander._

I could tell that he painted that part himself, because it was a bit sloppy and in purple. I loved it. I set _my_ new uke in the case and tackled Zander to the ground.

"You are the single most amazing best friend in the world," I say, now laying on top of him, looking into his mischevious eyes. He laughs and wraps his arms around my waist.

"I know, baby." he says. I roll my eyes and get off of him. Once I stand up, I hold out my hand for him and we walk off to enjoy the rest of the day with the others. Oh, yeah. This was so much better my foreign movies.

**Shazam! Okay, does that make up for my absence? If not, then I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PLEASE YOU! Also, I'm coming up with ideas for a new story. It's a Mulu fanfic and it takes place in NYC, where Max is a performer on the Newsies musical, and Lulu is a stage hand. I have a basic idea of how it's gonna go down, but if you guys have any ideas on what could or should happen, lemme know! Keep it tight, mah homies! DUECES! . . . Sorry, that was bad.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Heeyy. So, the last chapter was, in my humble opinion, one of my best. People were saying that near the end of the last chapter would've been a great time to kiss, but it just seems a little sudden and too soon. I have a master plan of when they will, though. You, my friends, will just have to breath into a paper bag, lie in the fetal position, and wait in suspense and anticipation. Read on!**

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

A few days after my birthday, I was lying in bed with a cold. No, scratch that, a _freezing_. I had been sneezing, coughing, and blowing my nose for about 42 hours now, and I'm _so_ ready to be done with this.

I was slowly dying while watching _Casa Blanca_, when my door swung open.

"Hey, sickling," an annoyingly cheery voice says. I tear my eyes away from my movie and look up to see Zander, Kevin, Kacey and Nelson walking into my room. Kevin plops himself on the ground while Nelson takes my bean bag chair, Kacey sits on the chest in front of my bed, and Zander lays down next to me.

"Well, let's just make ourselves at home, shall we?" I say sarcastically. Kevin speaks up.

"Hey, you've been gone for two whole days," he whines.

"We missed our daily dose of Stevie." Nelson says. I roll my eyes and look at them.

"Let me guess, Molly and them are seemingly everywhere and you're scared to be anywhere but here?" I ask. They slowly nod their heads.

"I'm here because I've had to man the nerd herd and I don't know _how_ you do it!" Kacey says dramatically.

"I seriously need another girl around me." she states. I look over to Zander.

"And you?" I ask warily. He looks at me.

"My best friend is sick, and I thought I'd try to make her less miserable by spending some time with her." he says, blunt as ever. I think I like his reason the best.

"Well, I'm almost dead with boredom from this movie. Nelly, Kev? You wanna choose one?" I ask the boys. They nod and walk over to the boxes where I keep all my movies. I have alot of movies.

"How've you been feeling?" Zander asks me, his dark eyes concerned.

"Gee, I feel like a million bucks!" I say sarcastically. He raises an eyebrow.

"Wow, being sick dampens your mood about a fourth more than usual." he says, a slight smirk on his lips. Why am I staring at his lips?

"I'm sorry. Being under house arrest isn't the greatest thing in the world." I say. Zander wraps an arm around my shoulder and I lean into him.

"I don't want to get you sick," I murmer, not wanting him to put distance between us.

"I won't. I have an amazing immune system," he brags. I roll my eyes and look over at Kacey, who was giving us a weird look.

"What?" I ask. She removes her look, but quickly replaces it with a mischevious smile.

"Oh, nothing, I just remembered that I have to go . . . feed my cat." she says lamely.

"Kevin, Nelson, will you come with me?" she asks the two boys who were putting _Iron Man_ into the DVD player.

"But . . . you hate cats." Nelson states.

"Which is why its food will be laced with arsenic. Can we go?" Kacey says forcefully. Kevin and Nelson sigh and get up, leaving with Kacey who throws Zander and I a wink as she exits.

"Well, that was . . . unusual." I mumble, still confused by her sudden leave.

"Isn't poisoning a cat like, against the law or something?" Zander asks, bewildered. I look at him and he shrugs.

"Well, Tony Stark will just have to do with out them." he says, grabbing the remote to turn up the volume. I nuzzle my head into the area of skin were his shoulder meets his neck, and close my eyes. I'm pretty out of it, but I swear I feel a pair of lips on my forehead, kissing me. It's Kacey's cat, I think sleepily. Shouldn't Kacey be feeding it . . . ?

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

Not even thirty minutes into the movie, I can feel Stevie's breath coming out, slow and steady, meaning that she's asleep. Her breath on my neck sends shivers down my spine. Why? I couldn't tell you. Maybe I'm cold. I grab one of her blankets and lay it on top of us. Stevie sighs contently in her sleep. She just looks so perfect, laying next to me. Without thinking, I lean down and kiss her forehead, letting my lips linger there, even though I shouldn't. I found myself wondering what it would be like if we were . . . together. I look down at the dark haired girl beside me, and just stare at her. It'd be pretty awesome. But, that'd ruin everything. She's and I are so close, and I've never had a better friend than her. I seriously don't want anything to happen to that. My mom had told me about her experience with her and her best guy friend dating, and it ended up in flames. Literally. She burned all his pictures. I don't want Sevie to burn my pictures. But . . . would it be worth it? Just to have that point in time where we were just happy and . . . maybe even in love? Whoa, I'm getting ahead of myself. I rid myself of those thoughts and just focus on the movie. A while later, my phone buzzes. I get it out and read the text.

_We need to talk. Dad has big news!_

_-Mom_

**YESSSS. Okay, what do you guys think the news is? Well, you'll find out when the time is right! Might as well get your paper bags out now. Okay, reviews and ****_constructive_**** critisism is greatly apreciated. Also, tomorrow is Mother's Day, so show your mom some love! Make her breakfast, tell her you love her, don't scream at your siblings, do some chores, or, if this is your situation, go to her grave and lay some flowers down. Do what you gotta do! You guys rock. Unless you prefer to roll . . . Lame joke. Okay, keep it chill!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hola, amigos. Wasssuuuup? Don't answer that, it was rhetorical. I just got back from seeing Iron Man 3, and it was AMAZING! Okay, here's the next chapter. Please, don't hate me if it's bad..**

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

When I got home, I was prepared for my dad to tell me anything, like a new house, parents are having another kid -_eww_- or that he's getting us a dog. What I wasn't prepared for, was for him to yank the world out from under my feet.

"_WHAT?!_" I yell.

"Sweetheart, this is an amazing opprotunity. One that mke us a lot of money that can open doors for you and your sister," my mom tries to reason with me.

"I don't care!" I yell, "We have it good here! Is a few extra bucks really worth moving your entire family to _Scotland?!_" My dad slowly rises from his seat on the couch.

"Son-" he starts, but I cut him off.

"No, don't _son_ me! We were supposed to stay here until I graduate! I've always gone along with you moving us from place to place, but I've made a home here," I tell them, still fuming. My dad gives me an _I-am-your-father-don't-you-dare-argue-with-me _look.

"Zander, nothing is final, but in two weeks, we will be located to Scotland for a month, just to see how things work out with the company there." he says to me, trying to make it sound like there's a chance we won't stay there. But I can see it in his eyes. He and my mom had already made a decision. I yelled in frustration and stomped up the stairs, slamming my door for good measure. I know I probably seem like th typical teenager right now, but I don't care. My whole life is here, my friends, my music, everything I care about. I think I might've started throwing things until I heard a timid knock on my door.

"Zander?" a small voice says. I look over to see my sister, who's eyes were red and puffy from crying. All my anger fades away as I pull her into my chest for a hug. She wraps her skinny arms around me and starts to cry.

"I . . . don't . . . wanna . . . l-leave," she gasps inbetween sobs. I pick her up into my arms, sit on my bed, and start stroking her hair. She buries her face into my neck and I can feel her little body shaking. My heart breaks.

"Mell, I don't want to leave ethier." I say softly to her. She lifts her head and looks at me.

"Why? You w-were always okay-y with leaving all the o-other places ," she gasps out. I shake my head.

"That's because nothing ment anything to me in any of the other places. Here, I'm happy." I murmur.

"S-Stevie and your friends makes you h-happy," she says, calming down a bit. I nod.

"Yeah, they do. And your friends and school make you happy, too." I say. Mellie bites her bottom lip and nods.

"I was g-gonna be in a play and join the soc-soccer team." and with that, she starts crying again. I feel tears on my face and realize that their mine. I held Mellie there and we just talked for hours. I could tell that she loved Brewster as much as I did. I also learned that she had a crush on Stevie's brother, Jacob. When that topic came up, her eyes started to water.

"How are we gonna tell them?" she asks.

"Who?" I ask, confused.

"Your friends." she states, "Stevie's gonna be really sad." I think about that. Mellie loved my friends as much as I did, and,though she would never admit it, she looked up to Stevie. Cherished her every word.

"Stevie's probably gonna beat me up," I say with a sad smile. Mellie laughs a little. After a while, Mellie falls asleep and I lay her down in my bed. As I'm putting a blanket over her, I catch sight of the picture on my nightstand. It was of me and Gravity 5, laughing with each other. Nelson and Kevin were giving each other bunny ears, Kacey was posing like a model, and Stevie and I had our arms around eachother, beside ourselves with laughter. I don't think I have it in me to tell them the "_great news_".

**That . . . was a really sad chapter. Oh, and if anyone reading is from Scotland, do you own on of those plaid skirts? If so, I really hope you wear some shorts under those things. Okay, reviews, messages, and comments are greatly appreciated! Keep it chill, mah homies!**


	19. Chapter 19

**I HAD AN AMAZING DAY! I threw a frisbee and got a B on my math quiz! No in that particular order . . . Oh, you guys know how I said i pre-write all my chapters? Weeelll, I ran out of chapters, so now I'm just free-styling it. Seems to be working just fine, so far.**

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

Zander's been acting weird lately. Like, _really_ weird. He stares at Kevin, Kacey, Nelson and I like he might never see us again. Which is ridiculous, and it's starting to creep me out. I'm not the only one. Kevin had snapped on Zander yesterday.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Kevin said.

"Like what?" Zander asked, all innocent.

"Like something has gone horribly wrong, and nothing, not even Furious Pigeons, can help it! IT'S FREAKING ME OUT." Kevin exclaimed.

At that, Zander gave Kevin a sad smile, gathered his books, and walked out of the bandroom. He's been doing that alot lately. Smiling like a person who's accepted defeat and is trying to go along with it. It's bugging the crap out of me. On Sunday, Zander had come to my house to get all his clothes from my room because he said his mom wanted to wash them. Yeah, right. I stopped him halfway down the side walk.

"Hey!" I yelled to him. Zander stopped and slowly turned around.

"Yeah, Steves?" he sighed, avoiding eye contact.

"What's with you lately?" I ask, fed up with his sulking. "You've been quiet, sad, really distant, and I want to know why!"

"I-" he starts, but I cut him off.

"No lies, Zander. You look at me like you need me and can't stand me all at the same time! I didn't even think that was humanly possible!" I yell. "Where's the guy who makes a joke at everything and loves to laugh and plays music with his heart and soul? That guy has been missing for the past two weeks, and I need to know why!"

Zander just stares at me, his gaze so sad it makes me want to cry. I almost do. _Almost._ Then, he drops his bag and covers the distance beween us in two long strides. He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight. I'm so stunned, it takes my brain a while to process that I should hug him back. I do, and we just stay there, earning a few weird looks from some bystanders. But I don't care. Zander takes my face in his hands and presses his forehead to mine.

"I love you, Steves." he whispers. After that little statement, he kisses my forehead, grabs his bag, and walks away, leaving me in silence.

_A Few Days Later . . . _

"Ugh, where is he?" I ask Kacey, who was focusing on her math homework. I could tell she was as worried as I was, because she _never_ did her homework willingly, unless she was in panic mode.

"For the hunderedth time, I don't know, Stevie." she says, "If he would answer his phone, maybe we could ask him, but that doesn't seem to be working."

Zander had missed a week's worth of school, wouldn't answer his phone or email, and has basically dropped off the face of the earth. Kevin and Nelson were debating whether or not they should send out a search party, but a teacher over heard and told them that Zander was "fine". If he was "fine", he would let us know where the heck he is! When I got home, my mom stopped me and handed me a letter. It didn't have a name on it, but the adress said it was from . . . Glasgow, Scotland.

"Mom, do we have relatives in Scotland?" I ask her. She knits her brow and shakes her head. I slowly take the letter up to my room and open it. It was written in slightly sloppy hand writing that I would recognize anywhere. It read:

_Stevie,_

_ I know you're probably going to kick my butt for doing this to you. I'm so sorry. I'm not as strong as you are, and I couldn't bring myself to tell you guys in person. My dad got a job in Scotland, and I honestly think he's taking it, which means I go, too. I know I should've told you, but I just couldn't. I'd much rather break your heart without having to see your eyes. I love you. Please remember that._

_Zander._

I stared at the letter, reading it over and over, trying to make sense of what I just read. I felt lik my heart was being torn out of my chest and it hurt like hell. I feel my head start to beat, and I realize that I'm holding my breath. I let it go, and it's shaky and with uncontrolable rage, I throw the envelope across the room, and heaer a clank as it hits the wall. I stumble over and see a chain. I hold it up and see the charm dangling off of it. It's a locket. I open it, and there's a picture inside it of Zander and I, with my head on his chest. I slip the chain over my neck with shaky hands. It feels cold and dull. My reflection staring up at me on the smooth metal ofthe locket. _I hate him_, I decide. He's a coward and a cheat. I think I should cry, but I can't bring myself to do it. If he loved me, then why, _how,_ could he do this to me?

I walk over to my nightstand, grab all of the pictures of him and I, and throw them to the bottom of my closet. I couldn't bring myself to destroy them completely. My mom must've heard all the banging because she came in my room and stared at the letter on my bed. After a while, she comes over to me on the floor and wraps her arms around me. I can feel her body shaking from her crying, but I just feel numb inside. I feel . . . nothing. I'm empty. That's what he did to me. _I hate him._

**Well, this was quite the angsty chapter, now wasn't it? I apologize, but it's necessary for the next couple of chapters. . . It will get better, promise. I think it's so lame, bit it must be done. I freaking hate angst stories. I'm turning into that in which I hate most. Oh, no. Kay, well enjoy your Monday to the best of your ability, and I will hopefully update tomorrow.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hola, chicos y chicas. ¿Qué está pasando en tu mundo? Yo, si te importa, estoy viendo Locked Up Abroad. Cosas locas, yo. Me encanta. If any of you guys understood that, you'd knowwhat a loser I am. Albeit, a bilingual loser, but a loser none the less. I, once again, had the stupid cpter delted and am starting from scratch. FML. I originaly had a witty opening, but that is dead and gone. READ!**

_(Kacey's P.O.V)_

It's been about two weeks since Zander left. We all got letters from him, but none as personal as Stevie's. Zander apologized for not telling us in person, and that he missed us. Kevin and Nelson broke down on the spot, and I shed a few tears, but Stevie just stood in the corner, her face blank. She hasn't mentioned or talked about him.

Eventually, we all laughed, smiled, and hung out together easily again, but it wasn't the same. Even tough Zander wasn't here, we still played our instruments daily, but that was weird also. I'm not the only one who noticed. One day, Nelson said something about missing our suave guitar player, and Stevie gave him a glare worthy of Hades. Since then, we kept our mouths shut about him.

Even though se laughed and joked with the rest of us, her eyes gave her away. Her usual sparky and jovial multi-colored eyes were dull and gray. She won't admit it, Stevie missed Zander. I could tell that she was scared to be without him, and that scared her even more. From a recent talk with her, she spilled that she hasn't had any contact with him since he left, and has no intention to. It worries me. I've been keeping a close eye on her to make sure she isn't losing any weight or participating in risky behaviors, something my mom's therapist drilled into my brain to do when someone was sad, but the only thing that changed about her was her eyes. She was collapsing inside herself.

_Whoa . . . _I could _totally_ be a phsyciatrist if my plan of being a world famous pop star doesn't work out. Speaking of plans . . .

"What are you doing?" I ask Nelson, who was waving some . . . _thing_ around in the air.

"Oh, since Zander is no longer around to get us our ladies -_ehem-_ not like we needed it, Kevin and I used our science skills to create a call that will make the ladies come a runnin'." Nelson says, still waving around his straw/cell phone/umberella around like the cool guy he is.

"And BAM!" Nelson shouts as he presses button. I cock my head.

"I don't hear anything." I say.

"Well, _duh_." Kevin pipes up from his spot on the couch. "It only signals a certain area in the courtyard."

"So it's a dog whistle for the Perfs?" Stevie asks, walking in the room, and raising an eyebrow at Kevin and Nelson. They look down and hang their heads.

"Yesss. ." they say in usison. I hear Stevie laugh. I look over at her in surprise, because it was a kind hearted, joyus laugh. She returns my look with one that says: _I'm alive and well. That'll be enough for now._ I flash her a smile and we stand together and tease Kevin and Nelson about their machine. Maybe she will be okay after all/

_Oh, yeah. So gonna rock this phsyciatrist thing._

**Okay, the next chapter will be more of Zader's P.O.V, so don't worry. Chill, sit back, and pray to the gods that I'll be able to update soon. You guys rock. You know why? Because you all the real Slim Shady's and you better never let it go. You've only got one shot, do not not miss your chance to blow, because this opprotunity comes once in a life time. NO NOT MISS YOUR CHANCE TO BLOW. . . Sorry, I'm listening to Eminem. Keep calm and fight the system. PEACE!**


	21. Chapter 21

**OOOOH MY GOD. I had such a long day yesterday that resulted in me having blisters on the back of my ankles (I tossed that pair of Nikes. They can go to shoe hell.) a sunburn, a bruise on my leg from tug-of-war, and two scratches on my glasses that are DRIVING ME NUTS. We had a Science field day at school. Oh, yeah. I have no clue what a bouncy house, dodgeball, and Red Rover has to do with science, but I didn't bother to ask. It would've been more enjoyable if I didn't make poor shoe and sunblock choices, but hey, what are ya gonna do? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I'M GONNA DO . . . I'm gonna grace you beautiful people with the next chapter of this ammature story. Enjoy!**

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

I miss her.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I miss all of my friends, but everyone has contacted me. Except for Stevie. I can't say I blame her. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't want to talk to me either. Kevin had told me about their genious lady plan, which Kacey had butted in and said it was a human dog whistle, and I laughed a bit. I would've laughed more if Kacey had told me about Stevie's input, but all of them have successfuly avoided the topic that is _her._

I've been taking my classes at Brewster online, not wanting to have school down the drain. It's really the only thing keeping me saine right now. I've been surrounded my so much green, that if I look at that stupid color again, I might barf. Also, I've seen _way_ too many grown men in skirts for my humane liking.

I haven't been playing music as much, and when I did, I avoided my ukulele all together, hating what it reminded me of. _Her._ Everytime I close my eyes, I see Stevie laughing, sleeping, joking, smirking . . .I just see _her. _I wouldn't dare spam her email or phone because of what I did to her. I'm pretty sure if I did, one of her brothers would find me and beat me up.

"Zander?" my mom's voice pulling me out of my thoughts. I look at her.

"Honey," she says, "It's been two and a half weeks - I know, you're not the only one wo's keeping track- and you and your sister have hardly spoken a word to your father and I." She sounded worried and sad. Almost dissapointed, like she thought we would actually w_ant_ this. So wrong.

"You expect us to thank you for all this?" I ask incrediously. "Seriously? You had a choice: Stay where we were happy with our futures ahead of us or move us to another area of the world and have us fend for ourselves."

She looked upset at that, and I felt sorta bad. It's not here fault entirely, but had she spoken up, I'm sure we wouldn't be here now. I look my mom dead in the eyes.

"I know it's hard, but we still don't know for sure . . ." she starts. I roll my eyes at this.

"Yeah, right," I scoff, "I highly doubt once dad finds out how much more money he can make, we won't be leaving." When I said this, I got all kinds of angry. I shot up and started pacing.

"It's always abput the money, isn't it?!" I yell, "Mom, we've been moving from place to place, all for _more money_. We didn't need it this time! We were stable and happy! Why do this? Why?!" My mom looked taken aback, obviously not expecting me to freak out like this. She laughs a sad little laugh.

"Your sister said the same thing. About not needing the money. Sometimes, I can't help thinking you two are right." she says miserably, and walks off. I look out the window and feel an annoyed bile rise in my throat. _Ugh, green._

_(Theresa's P.O.V_ ~Zander's mom~)

"Michael, we need to talk," I say to my husband, who was sifting through some papers, no doubt the contracts for his promotion.

"Mmm?" he asks distractedly. I huff and pull the papers out of his hands. He looks at me in surprise and I sit down on his desk.

"I think you need to retink this promotion. Is it really worth it this time?" I ask him.

"What are you talking about?" he asks back, now gracing me with his full attention.

"I mean, we have dragged the kids from place to place, and finally, _finally_, we think we've found a place to call home, and we have to leave ther, too?" I say, "Michael, Melody was _happy._ Alexander was _happy._ When have we ever seen them that content? Never. And when they finally are, we uproot them once more. Is that really fair?" Before he can object, I speak again.

"I want to give Mellie a place to grow up, and Zander a place to graduate comfortably and come back to! I want both of them to make memories in a real place, not in a hotel room as we shift and leave, tease them with the hopes of a home, and leave again! I'm done with it, and you better be done, too." I level him with a stare. Michael sighs and puts his head in his hands.

"What do you want me to do, honey? I can't pass up an opprotunity like this." he says.

"Yes, you can! None of this will affect the job you had in Brewster or your income. It's like Zander said, 'Is a few extra bucks really worth moving our entire family'?" I say. He thinks about this for a while.

"Well . . ." he says slowly, "I guess we can return that kilt I bought."

I smile at him. We're finally going, and _staying,_ home.

**BAM! How you like 'dem Scottish apples? I'm so happy to finally get the move out of the way! God, that was KILLING ME! And I'm pretty sure it made every other fangirl scream, "GO BACK TO AMERICA YOU POOP HEADS! HOW DARE YOU COME BETWEEN ZEVIE?!". I know I would've. I used my mom's name and my step-brother's name for the parents. They seem like such mom and dad-esque names, don't you think? Anyways, let me know what your beautiful, bulbus brains thought about this chapter, PLEASE! I can't satisfy your fangirling if you don't tell me what's up! Peace, Sim Shadys!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Haven't you guys realized yet that you can't predict what will happen in my story? I'm never gonna go the old route and give you guys something in the norm. No need to thank me, it's my pleasure. ;P And no, **Liz Marie**, there will be no "BIG romantic gesture". Seriously, how lame do you think I am? Can't stand saptastic stuff. Anyways, here's the next chapter! READ IT.**

_(Kevin's P.O.V)_

"Kevin! I'm telling you _nobody_ is going to belive that you're an undercover superhero, and you couldn't turn in your homework because you had a late night mission that required you to burn your backpack!" Nelson yells at me. I roll my eyes, something I learned from Stevie.

"Well, not if you don't have an open mind! Psh," I say, as we head over to the courtyard for pizza day. Oh, my little cheesy, greasy Christmas. I can practically feel the drool going down my chin. All of the sudden, Nelson stops.

"What-" I see it, too. Over at our table was Kacey . . . with a dark haired guy in a flannel shirt.

"Hey, guys. Look who I found." Kacey says with a big smile on her face.

"ZANDER!" Nelson and I shout simultaniously. We run over and attack him with hugs. Zander laughs and hugs us back, practically tackling us to the ground. We all start talking over each other and laughing in our state of bliss.

I can't believe he's back! Over all the yelling, I was able to catch that his dad had surprisingly turned the job offer down and moved them back into their old house. I can tell Zander's super happy to be with us, but I caught his eyes wandering a few times, looking for something or _someone._ I give him a sly smile.

"Stevie's in the band room." I state. He looks up.

"Oh, um . . . that's - wow - how . . um, is she?" he babbles, obviously nervous. I would be too, if I had to face Stevana Baskara after sending her into a down spiral of pity. I shudder. He is in for a world of pain. But he can't back out now.

"Zander," Kacey says tentively, "She's not doing all that hot. You haven't told her you're back, have you?" she asks accusingly. Zander fidgets.

"Um . . not exactly." he sighs. It's written all over his face. How much he wants to see her, just to be near her. Nelson shoves him in the direction of the band room.

"Well, go in there and get her! But . . . you might want to go on ninja mode so you won't attract your . . um . . fanbase." Nelson says, gesturing to a group of girls that are practically hyperventilating in the corner. He nods and slowly starts down the hall.

"We are s_o_ good." I say and three way high five Kacey and Nelson.

_(Stevie's P.O.V)_

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss him. Didn't need him.

But things don't always revolve around me. I've been putting on a brave face, and it's been slowly seeping into my brain, making me okay again. For the first time since Zander left, I took out my ukulele and started strumming it. Remembering all of the chords that have beed painstakingly drilled into my mind by him. It was oddly soothing. I was strumming to You and I by Ingrid Michaelson when everything started to fade around me, and I lost myself in the music. But only for a while.

"You know, you still have yet to master those major chords." a voice says from the doorway.

I turn my head around so fast, I seriously think I might have whiplash. When I see who's at the door, my breathing stops. Zander. He's here. Zander is here and about ten feet away. My brain starts seizing little details, like how his shirt is slightly wrinkled, and how he has a new look in his eyes, darkening them. First, I'm in shock. Then, I'm angry.

"Why are _you _here?" I ask, venom dripping from my words. I stomp over to him.

"How . . . can . . . you . . . be . . . here . . . and not . . . where . . . you . . . were?!" I ask, punching him with every word.

Zander just stands there taking it all, watching how an entire month of supressed emotion comes flooding out of me. I eventually stop hitting him and fall into his arms, my eyes having a hurricane of their own. He holds me there, stroking my hair and whispering "I'm sorry," into my ear.

I realize that I'm acting like a blubbering loser and step away from him. I gather myself and look him in the eyes.

"What are you doing here?" I ask with a shaky voice.

"Dad turned down the job," he smiles. It's so happy and joyful it makes my heart flutter and my stomach go into Olympic gymnastics routine. His face turns serious as he steps towards me, and reaches a hand to the locket I'm wearing. It's slightly worn from me not taking it off since I got it.

"Stevie," he sighs my name, making my breathing hitch in my throat. "You know the saying, 'you never know what you have until it's gone'?" he asks, and I nod at him. I watch as he takes a deep breath and steps even closer to me, our chests practically touching.

"The thing is," he starts, "I knew I had you. I just didn't know . . . _how _to have you. But I know now." he says breathlessly.

Then he leans his head down and presses his lips to mine. It takes me a second, but I soon respond. I slide my hands onto his chest and he wraps his arms around my waist. I've never felt this complete. I feels like electricity is flowing through every vein in my body. This is all I need. He's all I need. _How stupid, _I think giddily, _for me to think that I could ever live without this._

_(Zander's P.O.V)_

I have no clue what I said or what I did, all I know is that , somehow, my lips ended up on hers and everything else melted away. My whole body was on fire, and I had no intention of putting it out. When we finally pulled away, (we were going to come up for air _sometime_) I look at her. Stevie opens her eyes and my breath is taken away by them. I've always loved her eyes. Always will. It was a nice moment until she punches me. Again.

"If you ever break my heart in a letter again, I will kill you. Understand?" she demands, looking at me with nothing less than love in her eyes. I kiss her lightly on her temple, laughing a little.

"Never again." I murmur into her hair.

"Well, it's a_bout time!"_ Kacey shouts from the doorway, followed my Kevin and Nelson, who were playing paparazzi with their phones. I can see Stevie blushing from the corner of my eye and I kiss her cheek.

"I'm starting to wonder why we didn't to this sooner," I whisper in her ear. She laughs and leans into me as I wrap my arms around her stomach from behind.

"You're such a sap," she teases. I smile and kiss her again. I could so get used to this.

**Yeah. That just happened. Are you guys pleased with my Zevie kiss? I hope so, because I am! Okay, all that's left is the epilogue then this story is dunzo! I'll either do that today or sometime during the week. DUECES!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Heeeey! How you doin'? *In Jersey accent* Okay, so, this story has finally come to an end, and don't be too surprised or impressed. All of my chapters were relatively short, so it's not all that great. I've been having some ideas for this epilouge (did I spell that right?) and since I'm playing hooky today, I can finally type one up for you lose- uh, I mean, lovely people. Tell me what you think and I will thank you mentally, so, if you get this weird feeling in your brain, it's me telepathicaly thanking you. Enjoy!**

_(No One's P.O.V)_

Zander chased her all around the house, and after a while, he had to sit down to get some air to fill his deprived lungs and to try to get some feeling in his legs again. She definetly had Stevie's athletisism.

"Daddy! Where did you go?" the little munchkin yelled from the other side of the house. She had Zander's big voice, too.

"I'm in here, babe. Daddy's just got to catch his breath." with that, the little girl came running into te kitchen and jumped on his lap. Zander looked at his daughter as she twisted and turned, trying to find a comfortable spot. He couldn't help but laugh. Marianna Robins was so much like her mother, with her tan skin, curly hair, and her temper, but her dark eyes, raven hair and incredible good looks came from her dad. Although, in Stevie's eyes, that's debatable.

When the doorbell rang, Marianna's and zander's heads shot up. Zander picked her up in her arms and looked at her.

"Okay, squirt. This is it. We've only got one shot-"

"So do NOT miss your chance to blow." his daughter finished for him.

"Very good. To your position!" he let her go and she went speeding off into the living room.

"Honey, I'm ho-ome." a sarcastic voice called from the doorway. Zander chuckled. He went over to the foyer to greet his wife.

"Hey, how was lunch with Kacey?" he asked her. Stevie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, it would've been good, if Kevin weren't pestering her the whole time. She's only a few months pregnant, but who knew the idea of him being a father would freak him out so much?" she asked.

Zander shrugged and smiled. Stevie couldn't help but smile back. Even though they've been together for ten years, seven of those years they were married, they were still as in love as ever. Though, Stevie would never say that out loud because it sounds _really _cheesy. And Zander never woke up a day in his life without marveling how they had done it.

Gravity 5 did split up, but the friends never did. Kacey had gotten a record deal, as well as Zander, but nether of them ever left Brewster. Stevie went on to produce music for some of the biggest names in music, and coaches select basketball and volleyball teams in the side. Grace had become a designer for woman's apparel, married Nelson (who was making it good as a nueroscientist) , and now they have a set of twins to keep them busy. And Kevin had become the face for the Yamaha drumline. So, all the members were doing pretty good.

Suddenly, Stevie's eyebrows furrowed and she cocked her head to the side.

"What is it?" Zander asked.

"Is someone . . . cooing?" she asked confusidly. Zander's eyes lit up. _There's the signal, _he thought.

"C'mon." he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room, but not before stopping to cover her eyes with his hands.

"Really, Z?" Stevie deadpanned. Zander rolled his eyes and made her continue to step forward. When they reached their destination, he uncovered her eyes.

"HAPPY MOTHERS DAY, MOMMY!" Marianna screamed at jumped into her arms. Stevie marvled at the sight. There was a banner hanging from the wall that read "Best Mom Evers!", and she chuckled, knowing that her six year old daughter must've helped with that one. There were cupcakes on the table and presents sitting on the floor. Stevie set her daughter down and and looked at Zander with amazement in her eyes. He smiled.

"I know you said you didn't want to make a big deal out of today, but Mari wanted to do something special."

"Uh, daddy? You were the one who-"

"OKAY! Let's open some presents, yeah?" Zander said quickly, successfully avoiding his daughter's mouth getting him in trouble. Stevie leaned up and kissed him, which he could do nothing but return the kiss. _Damn_, he thought, _even after all this time she can still do that to me. _

"Happy Mother's Day, Steves." Zander murmured against her lips.

"Ewwww!" Marianna yelled, causing them to part. stevie rolled her eyes and picked the little girl up. Zander sat down on the couch next to his family. He wondered what she would put together for Father's Day. He shuddered, remembering last years glitter/food fight his daughter had forced upon him.

Stevie leaned into Zander as he wrapped his arms around her, watching as their daughter stuffed her face with cupcakes. Zander looked at Stevie, who had a soft smile on her lips.

"Zander, I know I'm gorgeous, but staring is rude." she smirked. He busted out laughing, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu.

"You are gorgeous, and I can't help but stare," he said cheesily. Stevie rolled her eyes but laughed all the same. _I don't care how all this happened, _Stevoe thought, _I'm just glad it did._

**The end. Whooooo! I completed a story! I feel so accomplished! And I love this epilouge! (still not sure if I spelled that right) Lemme know what you think. Also, I'm going to start writing a new story called "Here's the News" in's a Mulu fanfic that I should probably start on now that I've finished this one. We shall see, but if you really want to read that one, give me some ideas on what to put in that story, 'cause I got nothin'. DUCES!**


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